[FRIAM] capitalism vs. individualism

[Steven A Smith]

DaveW -
> As a card carrying Hermeneutic 
"Hermeneuticsis the art of understanding and of making oneself
understood" - Wikipedia
> From the viewpoint of someone who knows/believes/understands everything to be Interpretation, this is a silly assertion.
Interpretation of "received wisdom" conventionally.   Rhetorical
presentation of "received wisdom" is not hermeneutical.
> The only way you can ascribe Truth to an ism, Capitalism included, is by disregarding ninety-percent of the "data" as irrelevant and claiming the self-consistent (mostly) residue to be that Truth.
>
> And of course each ism cherry picks the ten-percent of the data (non-overlapping sets) that supports its interpretation of fact/reality/truth and vociferously defends it as the only correct way to see things or think about things  — and then makes the fatal mistake of believing, in a fundamentalist sort of way, their own story (interpretation).
This cynical interpretation of the attempt to condense knowledge and
wisdom is not unfounded, but do you contend that it is intrinsic ot
"isms" that they be thus?  Is your 10% data-driven, anecdotal, or
rhetorical?
> That last step, believing the fictional story that you weave from your interpretation of cherry picked data, is fundamental to the idiocy of impeachment.
Do you mean *this impeachment* of *this president* at *this time*?  Or
are you impugning the very idea of impeachment, of congressional
oversight of the Executive and the ideal of checks and balances?
> While the story being told may have substance, it has no Reality, it has no Truth, and telling (yelling) that story will have no effect except other than increasing anger and hostility between and among all those with other stories to tell.

The style of this administration (and sadly the last Republican one as
well) is that of an arrogant bully, saying and doing anything to get
one's way, denying any wrong-doing categorically, and then squealing
"unfair!" anytime someone lands even a half-good punch on them.  
Decades ago, when my sympathies were more with the Right than the Left
(in some key areas) it was because I interpreted their position to be
considered, thoughtful and in some sense generous.   I haven't seen that
from the Right in a very long time, and have seen it more and more on
the Left.   Politicians are still politicians but *some* of them truly
seem motivated to be *Statesmen*, even if the game as it has (d)evolved
makes that hugely difficult.

It is really rich for the (self-Righteous) Right to accuse the left of
being bullies, but that is one of the clear hallmarks of a bully...  to
cry foul when confronted effectively.

> davew
>
> [Personal aside: some ranchers in southern Utah gave me a "Keep America Great — Trump 2020" ball cap. I am tempted, sometimes, to wear it in solidarity with Adam Schiff and Democrats/Liberals who seem Hell bent on getting Donald re-elected. I don't do so because I am afraid of attracting violence from ultra-orthodox, fundamentalist, believers of the TrumpSatan story.]

What about the simple possibility that many will believe that you
believe the story embroidered on the cap, no matter how they might react
overtly?   I'm of the apprehension that while you don't seem to strictly
believe that Trump has made America "Great Again" or that keeping him in
office will  yield a continued or increased "Greatness", I suspect that
your own version of what I call in myself "morbid fascination" has you
happy enough standing around roasting marshmallows of what is left of
things as he proceeds to burn it down.  I shared some of the reactionary
spirit that (nearly) drove Bernie to the nomination in 2016 and did in
fact drive Donald to taking the Gerrymandered Electoral College
majority,  but whatever good that disruption brought is well over
IMO...   it is time to call a halt to this "punctuation" and return to a
new "equilibrium" if we can.

Do YOU see a new equilibrium possible, or do you think we need to
rekindle the flames if they start to die down?

- SteveS

PS.  I am reminded of Nick's (with Stephen/Owen/et-al support) MOTH (my
way or the highway) strategy in the iterated prisoner's dilemma.   It is
perhaps too simplified for application in the context of our national
elections, but I suspect that the Left may be moving toward that
strategy which beats the chronic defector strategy that the Right seems
to prefer.

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